Thought for food | Kindness of strangers

Every year when monsoons taper off and winter sneaks in, Kashmiri vendors travel around the country to sell their handcrafted shawls, carpets, purses and blankets. It is a hard life.

Their toil does not end with their journey; in fact it is just the beginning. They stay at cheap hotels and roam around all day lugging their wares and looking for buyers. I would have never known all this if it were not for chance encounter with a couple of them at my brother-in-law Dayashanker Pandy’s house. We were seated in his veranda when two Kashmiri vendors, who looked like father and son, approached. The younger man carried a bundle on his head, while the other, frail and old, called attention to their wares.

I was surprised when Dayashanker beckoned the vendors, knowing that he needed nothing from them. But he began examining their carpets and shawls. His wife Manju, meanwhile, got busy in the kitchen, knowing that her husband wouldn’t buy a thing. I felt sorry for the vendors, and when my brother in law asked me a buy something, I politely declined. Dayashanker then made personal inquiries about the vendors. As they narrated the details of their difficult lives, I felts saddened and guilty for being party to such behavior. But Dayashanker suddenly called Manju and as if he’d just got an idea quietly asked her to serve the visitor something to eat since they would be hungry. She brought food into the veranda. The vendors hesitated initially, but yielded when Dayashanker insisted. Having had their fill, they departed, promising to bring better things next year.

It was then that my brother in law spoke to me. “I’m well aware of the hardship faced by these Kashmiri vendors,” he said, as I looked at him, still confused. “They eat in the morning, then spend the rest of the day roaming around the city on foot, hungry and thirsty. When I saw them, I wanted to offer them food. But they have their pride. They would never accept anything unless I pretended to be interested in their wares and made the offer of the food look incidental.”

- Kuldeep Puri, Bhopal

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